Chamizal dispute
In 1961, in the midst of the Cold War and with worries over Mexico's potential allyship with Cuba mounting, U.S. President John F. Kennedy broached the idea of perhaps finally setting this conflict.
The Spanish word "Chamizal" comes from chamizo or chamiza, the common name for the four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) which covered the disputed land near the present-day park.
[5] In 1884, another treaty modified this by explicitly accepting the internationally established doctrine known as "the law of accretion" that specifies that the line of a river-defined border shall follow the changing path of the boundary river only in response to gradual alluvial deposition, but that sudden avulsion shall not affect the borderline.
[6] By 1873 the river had moved approximately 600 acres (240 ha; 2.4 km2), cutting off land that was in effect made United States territory.
[7] Estimates for El Chamizal total anywhere between 590 and 1600 acres; but, in truth, its exact size and location remains highly contested and is perhaps impossible to define due to limited and cursory documentation for the river’s meanderings.
[8] But tensions rose on both sides of the border over the Chamizal, which any route from El Paso to Ciudad Juárez would cross, even though it would be considered neutral territory with no flags present during the summit.
[10] Frederick Russell Burnham, the celebrated scout, was put in charge of a 250-person private security detail hired by John Hays Hammond, who in addition to owning large investments in Mexico was a close friend of Taft from Yale and a U.S. Vice-Presidential candidate in 1908.
Moore, a Texas Ranger, discovered a man holding a concealed palm pistol standing at the El Paso Chamber of Commerce building along the procession route.
The United States rejected the proposal on grounds that it did not conform to the agreements of the arbitration – instead it fuelled an ongoing dispute between the two governments and fostered ill-will.
The dispute continued to affect Mexico–United States relations adversely until President John F. Kennedy agreed to settle it on the basis of the 1911 arbitration award.
The dispute was formally settled on January 14, 1964, when the United States and Mexico ratified a treaty that generally followed the 1911 arbitration recommendations.
Although no payments were made between the two governments, the United States received compensation from a private Mexican bank for 382 structures included in the transfer.
The United States also received 193 acres (78 ha; 0.78 km2) of Cordova Island from Mexico, and the two nations agreed to share equally in the cost of re-channeling the river.
In order to complete the terms of the Chamizal Treaty, more than 5,600 El Paso residents were also displaced from their homes within the 630-acres ceded to Mexico.
"[24] In 1974, the United States established a museum known as the Chamizal National Memorial to increase visitor awareness of cooperation, diplomacy and cultural values as a basic means to conflict resolution.
